New Batch – Wounded Knife
5.23.16 by Mike Haley

wounded knife

Repeat after me: I want the knife.

You may be wondering why I just referenced one of the two parts from The Golden Child that I remember. It’s because there is another knife I want. The knife, in this case, is Wounded Knife. Specifically their brand new batch of four cassettes. Take a moment to appreciate Eddie Murphy’s impressive filmography from 1982 – 1988 and then we’ll casually chat about what those four tapes are… Alright, got that out of your system? Let’s go.

Randall Taylor unfolds 30 minutes of his cloaked guitar/noise based abstruseness as Amulets. His tracks on “In Flux” (CUT#33), are weary and weathered. Stout burners that inch along on all fours in slow motion thunder storms. To the best of my knowledge, Amulets has only been active for a couple dozen months, in that time releasing tapes on Spring Break, Horror Fiction, and a few others. All pleasing grips, “In Flux” being no exception. Lake Mary & Nathan Wheeler, who performs in the live version of Lake Mary’s Ranch Family Band, link up for “Also” (CUT#34). The duo campaigns through two side-long tracks of antiseptic minimalism by way of grand piano and synthesizers. Gripping and beautiful work. “Harigams” (CUT#35) is a 45 minute improv session between Sébastien Branche, Miguel A. García, Wojtek Kurek, and Mateusz Wysocki. Mimicking a sandcastle that refuses to hold shape, the four form vexing structures of sound. A mixture of dry and wet rasps and squeals that puddle up with each wave. Rounding out the batch is a collaboration between Charles Barabé + Roadside Picnic. Their “National House Milk” (CUT#36) C35 is a deluxe party bag of rando-avant chunks. Doses of flustered on-board beats, swampy synths, and sound samples that made their way through a paper shredder and were hot glued back together just in time to be recorded. Weirdo tunes that will leave blisters.

Buying these is something you should be doing currently.